Come Away With Me
by AdinaRJ
Summary: AU If Rory said yes when Jess asked her to come with him at the end of LWF,TWT.
1. Chapter 1

"No, no, no, no, no!"

"Don't say 'no' just to make me stop talking or make me go away. Only say 'no' if you really don't want to be with me."

Rory paused. She forced herself to look Jess in the eye, with every intention of saying no. "Okay," she heard herself saying.

"Really?" Jess asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes. Let's go." Rory was having trouble catching her breath, but she was exhilarated. For the first time in her life, she was making a huge decision without weighing all the pros and cons. She wasn't considering the considering all the possible consequences, or worrying about what it would mean. "Do it. Come with me. Don't think about it," he had said, and that's just what she was doing.

As Rory was following Jess in her own car, she fished her cell phone out of her pocket. "Mom?" she said when she was connected.

"Hi, hon!" Lorelai greeted her daughter brightly. "Listen, what time can I expect you tomorrow?"

"I wanted to talk to you about that." Rory swallowed hard. Leaving with Jess had been so easy; it was telling her mom that was the hard part.

"What's wrong?" Lorelai was on her guard immediately.

"Well, nothing's wrong…" Rory began. "I'm, um, I'm not coming home…this summer."

There was a pause and then, "Why not?"

"Don't be mad, please, Mom?" Rory wished she and Jess were not in separate cars – she wanted support from him right about now.

"I'm not mad. Just tell me." Lorelai's voice was even and controlled.

Rory took a deep breath before answering. Her palms were sweaty and her mouth felt dry. "Jess came to see me tonight."

"He did."

"Yeah…and he asked me to spend the summer with him." Though the time hadn't been specified, Rory wouldn't allow herself to think beyond the summer. Besides, telling Lorelai about the summer would be hard enough without having to say anything about beyond that, especially when she didn't know herself.

"And you're going," Lorelai finished for her daughter. "Are you sure about this, hon?"

Rory smiled as she looked at the car in front of her. "No. I'm not sure. But this is something I know I have to do – so that I can be sure. I don't want to be the what-if girl."

"Okay." There was reluctant acceptance in Lorelai's voice. "Just – be safe. I'll miss you."

"I love you, Mom. I'll call you every day, I promise."

Jess stopped in front of a slightly run-down building, and Rory pulled up behind him. "Here we are," he announced, meeting her at her car door. "Home sweet home," he added sardonically. He looked toward the backseat of Rory's car which was filled with all her boxes. "Do you want to bring in your stuff now, or…"

"I'm kinda beat," Rory told him. "It's been a long day." She pressed her hands together, trying to stop the butterflies in her stomach.

As Rory followed Jess up the dingy staircase and down the narrow hall, she remained silent, trying to absorb everything. She studied him. He was the same Jess that she remembered – same voice that sent a charge through her – same walk, always tight, on his guard. Easygoing was never a word that described Jess. He was different, too, though. His hair hung limply around his face as if he couldn't be bothered to put gel in it anymore, and she could see the tails of his dress shirt sticking out from under the leather jacket. He looked thinner; she could see it in his face. And even though the voice was the same, the tone was different – more earnest and less sarcastic. _Am I crazy? _ She thought to herself. _What was I thinking just going off like this with him?_ Jess chose that moment to reach for her hand. He squeezed it briefly, then dropped it. It made all the difference in the world.

Once they were inside the small apartment, Jess pulled Rory into his arms. As she laid her head on his shoulder, her nervousness ebbed away. This was the right choice. Jess pulled away slightly, keeping his hands on her hips, and kissed her on the forehead. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Just tired." When she saw the single bed against the wall, she realized that she hadn't thought about sleeping arrangements. She wanted to be with Jess, she was certain of that – but what about all the details? What did he think was going to happen with them in this new arrangement? Was he expecting anything right away?

Jess followed her gaze. "I'm sorry the bed's so small…I'm just lucky to have this place just for me…usually I live with three other guys, but a friend of mine's out of town for the summer and he's letting me use this place while he's gone," he explained. "If you want, I'll sleep on the floor."

Rory turned back to him and smiled. "I missed you," she said softly, "more than I wanted to." She cleared her throat. "Don't be silly," she told him in a normal tone. "I think we can manage to sleep in the same bed." Jess grinned at her, and she felt her knees weaken as they always had when he smiled at her. Before the tension took over, she spoke again. "Can I borrow a t-shirt and shorts tonight? All my stuff's packed away in different boxes and I don't feel like digging."

"Yeah, no problem." Jess suddenly realized his arms were still around her waist and he let go abruptly. "Do you want anything? Are you hungry?"

Rory shook her head. "No, I ate." That seemed like it had been a lifetime ago, when she had been in that bar with Dean…yet she remembered being with Jess as if it had been a day instead of a year. Everything came pouring back to her, from her going to see him in New York and him moving back to Stars Hollow, form their first kiss at the wedding to their last one in Kyle's bedroom. She remembered finding out about him leaving – and how she felt. "We'll talk tomorrow?" she requested.

Jess was caught off guard by her question. She had been so quiet all evening – he was beginning to wonder if she regretted her decision. Now she wanted to talk. That had never been his strong point. But communication was important, the book said and as cheesy as it has seemed, the book actually had a few valid points. So, he decided, if she wanted to talk, they would talk. "Sure," he agreed. "We'll talk." Now she was staring at him with those big blue eyes that always seemed to see right through him.

"I just want to know – I mean, can I ask…" Rory paused, trying to get her thoughts together. "Jess, did you mean what you said to me in January?"

January. He had only come back to get his car – but when he saw her, he had to tell her how he felt. He had tried to avoid her, but the postage-stamp sized town didn't allow it. Maybe it was fate. Didn't matter. Either way, he'd known he had to talk to her before he left. He had never said those words to anyone before – not even to Liz (that he could remember). Did he mean it? Probably more than either of them could fathom. "Yeah," he said thickly. "I meant it." And there were those eyes of hers again, searching him.

"Okay then," was all she said. She gave a hint of a smile and kissed him on the cheek.

As Rory lay in bed, Jess' arms tight around her waist, her mind finally began to process what was happening. She wondered if he was feeling the same as her. Part of her was nervous – terrified, to be exact – but the other part of her was feeling so peaceful. Having his arms around her like this, feeling his body right up against hers, made her feel so safe. "Jess?" she whispered, so quietly that it was barely audible.

"Yeah?"

"Don't hurt me again." The statement was part request, part plea, and part command.

"I promise." He was being given a second chance, and not just by Rory. There was no way in hell he was going to screw this up again.

Rory stirred awake when she smelled coffee. She opened her eyes and looked around, trying to remember where she was. When her gaze landed on Jess standing at the coffeemaker, the previous night's events came back to her all at once. "Hey," she said, slightly shy.

Jess turned at the sound of her voice. "You're awake," he observed, bringing a mug of coffee over to her.

She took it gratefully and sighed as she felt the warm liquid go down. She was beginning to feel more like herself. A tiny smirk played on Jess' lips as he watched her. She stopped, the mug halfway to her lips. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing." Jess shrugged, amused. "It's just funny to watch you drink coffee. It's like you're having a love affair with it or something."

"I am," Rory replied in a serious tone. "It's been going on for years – at least nine."

"So I've got competition for your affections?" Jess kidded lightly.

"Oh no, of course not!" Rory assured him. Jess sat back, pleased with himself. "There's no contest," she continued. "I'd pick coffee over you any day!" she finished with a grin.

Jess caught her expression and attacked, tickling her sides. "Watch the coffee!" she cried, attempting to put down the mug. She stretched a little more and managed to place it on the bedside table. Soon enough, they were both laughing hysterically as they rolled around on the bed and the coffee was forgotten for the time being. Their eyes met and Jess ceased the tickling as the mood changed. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he returned in the same tone, gently brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. She was so pretty, just lying there next to him, wearing his t-shirt and her hair a mess -- so he kissed her.

She responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She deepened the kiss, pressing her whole body to his. Kissing Jess was like no other feeling in the world and as soon as his lips touched hers again, she knew this was right. Something last night had told her to take this chance and now she couldn't imagine not being here with him.

Finally, they broke apart. "Wow," she whispered shakily.

Wow was right. Jess could feel it too. He jumped up and ran a hand through his hair. "Um, why don't I run down the corner and get some muffins? Or donuts." He grimaced, knowing how stupid he sounded. "You can shower," he pointed to the bathroom, "borrow another t-shirt, whatever…"

Rory creased her brow and frowned. "Jess…"

Jess relaxed slightly and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "We'll talk," he promised. He locked eyes with her for a brief second, and that said more than words ever could.

When he came back, Rory was sitting cross-legged on the bed, reading. Her hair was wet; she was wearing her jeans and his t-shirt. She looked up and smiled at him when she heard the door open.

"You look like you feel better," he commented, setting the packages down on the counter.

"I do," she agreed, putting the book down.

Jess sat down next to her and reached across to see the book. "_Bridge to Terabithia_," he read.

Rory gave him a searching look as he studied the cover and pretended not to feel her eyes on him. "It was shoved in the corner – in the back," she told him. Her smile was teasing. "You weren't ashamed of it, were you?"

He looked at her, putting his hands up in defense. "I can't be held responsible for where certain books want to be." There was just a hint of a smirk behind the serious tone. "Once I caught _Hamlet_ up on a noose in the bathroom. I got there just in time."

Rory smiled. "You know, it's funny, but something about that book reminds me of you."

"Hamlet?"

"Terabithia."

"Oh." Jess was silent for a moment. He had always seen some of himself in Jess Aarons, too. That had been what he loved the most about the book, and what caused him to read and re-read it about sixty times since he first laid eyes on it. "Maybe it's just the name," he suggested out loud. _How did she do that?_ It was uncanny, how they thought the same... and also he was more than a little thrown off that she knew him _so_ well to pick up on that immediately.

Rory watched the silent Jess. As well as he claimed to know her (and he did – when she was willing to admit it), she knew him too, better than almost anyone. Luke probably knew him slightly better, but she hoped that this summer they would grow closer and learn things about each other that they hadn't had a chance to before. Was it just the first name that Jess Aarons and Jess Mariano had in common? Maybe, but she doubted it. There was something more there, she sensed. Something that he wasn't quite ready to share with her yet. "Maybe," she agreed, letting him shrug it off. "What did you get for breakfast

"Cops' special." Jess got the bag from the counter. "Dozen mixed donuts and coffee."

"I get the cruller," Rory announced. "Oh, and the Boston crème!"

"I said mixed! There's glazed, plain, chocolate, and powdered. That's all."

"Liar." Rory laughed, reaching for the box. It felt so natural to be back with Jess, laughing and teasing and having fun. Last night she had been so worried—now she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"So," Jess said between bites, "I was thinking I'd show you around today, take you to some places I usually go."

"That sounds good," Rory said. "You don't have to work today?"

Jess shook his head. "Not yet. I might get beeped during the day."

Rory's eyebrows shot up. "Beeped?" she repeated, amused.

Jess rolled his eyes and shifted in his seat, sighing loudly. "I'm a messenger," he said with a slightly defensive tone.

"I was just asking," Rory muttered. _What was the big deal?_ she wondered. So he was a messenger, she didn't care.

Jess sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Forget it, it's no big deal. Why don't we…get your stuff before we go out?"

"Fine," Rory answered flatly.

He closed his eyes briefly. He could tell the change in the mood, and he knew he had caused it somehow. "Rory…" He trailed off. He didn't want to fight with her so soon.

Rory searched his face. He was trying, she could tell. So he didn't want to talk about work. There would be much more important things to push him about. "It's okay," she told him, and gave him a smile to reassure him.

He returned her smile, kissing her forehead. "Come on." He stood up, offering her a hand. "We'll go to the bookstores first."


	2. Chapter 2

A great big thanks to the greatest beta, **fulfilled** for all the constructive criticism, edits, and encouragement!

**Come Away With Me  
Chapter 2**

"Mom, you should have seen these bookstores. They were almost hidden – you'd never see them if you didn't know they were there," Rory said excitedly, "And, oh man, the smell – kind of musty, but in a really good way. All these used books – there were books I never even knew existed!"

"That's great, hon! I'm glad you're having fun."

Rory heard Luke's voice in the distance. "No cell phones! Outside, Lorelai, I mean it."

Rory giggled. "Luke's yelling at Mom," she told Jess.

Jess smirked knowingly. "I bet he is."

"But it's Rory!" Lorelai was protesting.

"Isn't she coming home soon? You'll see her when she gets here."

"Ha. Funny story," Lorelai said without a trace of amusement in her voice.

Uh-oh. Rory's smile faded. "Mom…Mom!"

"Sorry, babe. What's up?"

"Mom, are you okay?" Rory asked worriedly.

"Of course, I am, why do you ask?"

"No, I mean... are you okay with this... with me and Jess?"

Lorelai sighed. "Not really, hon. But I'm getting there. You're grown up enough to make your own decisions - and while I may not agree with them, it's your life."

"Mom, I wish you were okay with this. It's important to me."

"I know it is, kid. And…let's just say that I'm not... _not _okay with it right now. It'll get better."

"I know, Mom, it's fine," she said flatly. "I'll talk to you tomorrow; have a burger for me, okay?" She closed the phone but didn't move, staring at it. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she didn't do anything to stop them. "I hate this," she began, and her crying escalated into full-blown sobs. Jess patted her back awkwardly as she blubbered out how hard it was that Lorelai disapproved of Rory's choice and how she wished her mother could understand.

Eventually, her words were spent and she just continued to sob, letting it all out silently. She burrowed her head into Jess' shoulder, and she felt his arm wrap around her hesitantly. Feeling safe in his embrace, she leaned deeper into him, and Jess held her to him, letting her cry it out. In the back of her mind, she realized he didn't try to tell her it was okay or that everything would be all right, and she was very grateful for that.

In the middle of a sob from Rory, Jess' phone rang from across the room. "Aw, jeez," he muttered. He kissed the top of Rory's head as he reluctantly got up from the bed. "Hello?"

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Hi, Luke, nice to hear from you. What's new?"

"Don't give me that, wise ass. What happened after you left here?"

"It's just…something I had to do." Jess glanced at Rory who was wiping her eyes. "You get that, right?"

"Yeah." Luke's voice softened. "Yeah, I get that. Just…I hope you know what you're doing here."

"I do."

"Okay." Jess could hear the trust in Luke's voice, and, dare he think it, a modicum of respect?

"I didn't forget what we talked about, Luke." The words were loaded.

"I'm glad. Take care of her, Jess."

Jess nodded, as if Luke could see him. "Thanks, Luke." Luke gave a grunt of acknowledgement, and Jess hung up the phone.

Jess turned back to Rory, reaching for the TV remote. "Wanna watch a movie? I've got _Spinal Tap_." Rory smiled and nodded in agreement, still wiping her tears.

They lay on the bed, comfortably watching the movie in silence for a while; Rory's head resting on Jess' chest as he absently played with her hair. Thoughts plagued Rory's mind – Lorelai's disapproval; the past year; her relationship with Jess, both past and present. Onscreen, Michael McKean was talking about how the amps go to eleven, and Rory couldn't take it anymore. She sat up quickly, and Jess' hands fell.

"What is it?" Jess asked, concerned.

"Jess, turn off the movie."

"What happened? Is everything okay?" He touched her arm gently.

Rory looked at him with a serious expression on her face. "I think we should talk."

"Okay." Jess hit the button on the remote and the TV went dark. The abrupt silence loomed between them. Settling himself on the bed so that he was facing Rory, he waited for her to begin.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, Rory took a deep breath. There were lots of questions she wanted answered, a lot of information she wanted from him. There was no way to ease into this. "Jess, what happened in California?"

Jess shifted – he hadn't expected her to go for such direct personal questioning right away. He was tempted to give a sarcastic answer, but stopped himself when he saw her questioning eyes. He sighed deeply, unsure of where to begin.

Rory waited patiently for Jess to get his thoughts together. She reached out and took his hand in hers – though whether it was meant to comfort him or herself, she wasn't sure.

"Jimmy came to the diner…" Jess began. "I went out there… to see him, to get to know him, as stupid as it sounds." He rubbed his jaw, feeling the slight stubble there. "It was okay for a while… but it wasn't forever."

Rory nodded, letting him continue, and she laced her fingers with his, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. He was being honest and open – a trait not normally associated with Jess – and Rory didn't want to anything to jinx it. He claimed that he had changed, that he was ready to be with her – and she knew him well enough to see that he wasn't just saying it.

"Jimmy was – pretty much the same as I imagine he was at 22. I don't think he really ever…" Jess trailed off, unsure of how to say he didn't think Jimmy ever grew up. He wasn't sure if it was his place to say that, as he wasn't sure that he was as grown-up as he should be at 19, but at least he could say he was finally on his way. "He's not like Luke. Or your mom… you know?" As much as he had been dreading this talk, it wasn't that bad. It was easy to talk to Rory – she understood much of what he couldn't verbalize.

"Why did you come back east so soon?" she asked softly.

Jess opened his mouth to answer, then closed it. He hadn't really thought that deeply about why he had done any of it. He had wanted to, and that had been the entirety of his reasoning. "I guess…I guess I found what I was looking for out there. I was finished, so I came back here." He looked at Rory and gave a small shrug. "Now you tell me something," he requested.

"Like what?" Rory wasn't sure there was anything to tell. Didn't he know everything? He was the mystery, not her.

Jess shrugged again. "Tell me about your father. In all the years I've known you, I don't think you've ever mentioned him. You were with him at Sookie's wedding, right? I thought that was him."

Rory looked down and taking her hand back from Jess, she picked at a piece of fuzz on the blanket. She had been with her dad at Sookie's wedding – or, rather, he had been with her and Lorelai at the time. What happened right after was…well, it was hard. She had since gotten over it and forgiven Christopher, but it still hurt to think about that time.

"Rory?" Jess' voice interrupted her thoughts. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me." He didn't want to upset her.

She looked up at him, her eyes clear. "No. It's all right." She bit the inside of her lip, unsure of where to start. "My dad was…he wasn't around much when I was a kid." She laughed humorlessly. "Actually, he's not around much, ever – I haven't seen him in over a year." She paused; not wanting Jess to think she was trying to say her situation was as bad as his. It would have been worse to not even know her father at all – at least she'd had Christopher's visits to look forward to when she was growing up, as sporadic as they were. "I saw him sometimes when I was little – he'd come to Hartford and my mom and I would go and meet him for dinner or something. He'd call every few weeks and there were a lot of postcards when I was really young. He used to travel a lot."

Jess placed his hand on her knee and Rory took comfort in the small gesture. He was silent, letting her go on. "He never came to the Inn, or the house, not until I was sixteen." Rory shrugged – she had long since gotten used to the fact that Christopher was not around, and there were very few times she could remember being actually hurt by him. There had been plenty of disappointments, lots of letdowns, but very few hurts. The time around Sookie's wedding had been the worst. Rory looked at Jess, remembering what else had happened that afternoon. "Did I ever tell you that I was glad you moved back? To Stars Hollow, I mean… after the accident."

Jess shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "We're not talking about that yet. But it's good to know anyway." Rory smiled too and they locked eyes for a moment. "So what happened? With your dad," he clarified.

Rory shrugged again, trying to stay unaffected. "It was a long time ago. He's just…he is who he is; I've finally accepted that. He's not someone that I can really depend on, and that's fine." Rory fell silent. The topic of dependability brought up a new barrage of questions, ones that were much more relevant, recent, and possibly hurtful than their respective daddy issues. She tucked her hair behind her ears again, a nervous gesture she couldn't help – she felt like she needed to do something with her hands. "Jess…" she began, trying to organize all the thoughts running through her mind. "Last night, you said that …well, you told me I could count on you now." Jess opened his mouth to comment, but Rory held up a hand to stop him. "I believe you. I _do_," she emphasized. "But what happened…why did you…I mean, you just left." She looked up, trying to gauge his reaction. "You didn't tell me anything. Ever. You couldn't even tell me you were leaving."

"Rory –"

"No," she cut him off. "I know, okay? I know it was a year ago, and it's ancient history, and I should be over it by now, but I'm not." Her breath hitched as she realized this was the first time she had admitted that out loud.

"Rory…I…I'm sorry, okay? It was stupid, I know."

"It's not about being sorry, Jess!" Rory cried. "I don't want you to be sorry; I just want you to talk to me!"

"I am!" Jess yelled back. "What the hell do you think we're doing here?" He stopped and sighed, trying to calm down. "Look, Rory, I want this to work. But we agreed to start over. I don't want to rehash everything I did wrong!"

Rory took a few deep breaths, trying not to let her anger and frustration get the better of her. "Jess," she said in a soft voice, "I'm not trying to attack you." She put a gentle hand on his arm, hoping to placate him. She didn't want to fight but she wanted – no, she _needed_ – to hash this out and get some answers to the questions that had plagued her for the past year.

"Why don't we turn the movie back on?" Jess suggested. Not only did he not want to have this conversation, but it was upsetting Rory. That seemed to be a special talent of his, and he hated it.

"No." Rory shook her head. "Please don't get angry, Jess. I don't want to fight. I just…we need to talk about what happened last year."

"Okay." Jess sighed, but he knew she was right. Even he and Luke had managed to communicate with each other, even though neither of them was too fond of the whole sharing-feelings concept. Rory was all about that, and she was just asking him to talk to her, to explain a few things. He didn't know how well he could explain, but he would try – for her.

Rory started picking at the blanket again. Now came the hard question, and she wasn't sure how it would go.

Jess took her hands in his, trying to calm her nerves – or his, he wasn't really sure anymore. "Leave some blanket for later," he said with a small smirk.

"That day on the bus," Rory began, ignoring his comment, "why couldn't you tell me what was going on? I thought you were mad at me or something. Were you still upset about what happened at Kyle's party? I spent months trying to figure out what I did wrong, what I did to drive you away." She blinked hard, trying to stop the tears that pricked behind her eyelids.

Jess squeezed Rory's hands gently. "I'm sorry. I know it's really lame and after the fact, but I am. It was just – " he paused, trying to word it properly. "Nothing in my life was right then. I hated school, so I never went. Then I flunked out because I never went, and Luke wouldn't let me stay with him if I wasn't going to school. Rory, I hated that town – every day, it got worse. I was only there for one reason – and then I screwed that up, too. There was nothing for me there. You were the top of your class at your fancy private school, and I had flunked out of Stars Hollow High, for god's sake. You were going to Yale, and I was going nowhere!"

"I didn't care about that," she insisted. "Any of it. Everybody kept telling me how you were no good, you were just trouble and I was much too good for you, but I defended you! I didn't listen to them; they didn't know anything. Actually," she admitted, "After you left, I spent a lot of time wondering if I wasn't good enough for you."

Jess' eyes widened. How could she ever possibly think that? He knew he hadn't done the best job of making her feel as wanted and desired as she was, but he never thought she would feel inadequate.

"I never once thought you weren't good enough for me," Rory continued. "I didn't care about anything anyone else said, I didn't care about your grades or anything – I only cared about you!" she cried passionately, the tears that had threatened to leak out before now streamed down her face.

"The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you, Rory," Jess told her, gazing at her intensely. "I figured you'd be better off without me."

"I wasn't," she said simply, looking up at him, her eyes damp and red-rimmed.

She wasn't sure quite how it happened or which one of them started it, but suddenly they were kissing. He was cupping her face; her hands were weaving through his hair. Untangling her legs from beneath her, Rory lay down, pulling Jess down next to her. He was still kissing her until she could barely think, but kissing Jess had always had the effect of making her mind wonderfully cloudy and muddled.

Rory soon lost all ability for coherent thought as she got lost in the sensation. Her hands roamed over Jess' body, feeling the smooth skin of his neck, the roughness of the slight stubble on his cheeks and the taut muscles of his shoulders and back under his t-shirt.

Abruptly, Jess pulled away. "I think we should stop," he said thickly.

"What? Why? What are you –" Rory asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Let's watch some more of the movie or something," he suggested, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Jess, what…" Rory trailed off, still trying to figure out what was going on. She reached up to touch his cheek, but halfway up she thought better of it, brushing her hair back instead.

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I don't want to go too fast," he said by way of explanation. "I mean, there's plenty of time, right?" Part of him couldn't believe he was saying this.

A small smile crossed Rory's face. "Yeah. There's plenty of time."

"I don't want to rush into things," Jess went on, still amazed at these words that were coming out of his mouth. "I don't want to pressure you or anything."

Rory's smile grew as she took his face in her hands and kissed him softly. "Come on," she said, "let's watch the next drummer die."


	3. Chapter 3

Many many thanks go to my fantastic beta, **fulfilled**, who went over this with a fine-tooth comb several times. She encouraged me and kept after me every day, making sure I wrote my quota for the day. This is better because of her!

**Come Away With Me  
Chapter 3**

"You're back!" Rory's face lit up when Jess entered the apartment, his arms full of bags.

"Looks that way," Jess replied, setting the bags down on the counter, "but you could be imagining it."

"In that case, it's definitely one of my better hallucinations." A smile played on Rory's lips as she met him halfway across the room with a quick kiss.

By Wednesday evening, the two of them had fallen into a comfortable rhythm. During the day, Jess would be at work, making deliveries all over the city while Rory roamed the area, scoping out the best coffee, books, and music. They'd both be back at the apartment in the evenings, sharing, talking, and laughing over takeout. Rory kept teasing Jess about how he hadn't inherited the cooking gene from Luke, and Jess would counter with the fact that his cooking was at least better than hers.

"Where'd you go today?" Rory asked, peering over his shoulder at the food.

"Lower East Side, mostly," Jess replied, trying to block her view. "I was all over the area, back and forth between all the different sections and it got a little confusing – I tried to order chicken parm at the knish stand."

Rory giggled. "So what'd you bring home?"

"Chinese," Jess relented, setting the containers out on the small table.

"Oooh." Rory's eyes widened with delight as the aroma filled the room. "Real Chinese? From Chinatown?"

Jess laughed and kissed her lightly. "You're easy to please. Have you ever had Chinese anywhere other than Al's?" he teased.

"Of course!" She was indignant. "I may not be a cultured big-city person like you, but I _do_ have a life outside of Stars Hollow, you know."

Jess stumbled backward, his mouth open in mock horror. "Really?"

She shoved him playfully, sending him back against the kitchen cabinets. He caught his arms around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her.

"Mmm," Rory protested half-heartedly. "Jess, the food..." Yet she made no move to leave his embrace.

"Leave it," he whispered, trailing kisses down her neck.

Rory closed her eyes and made a small hum of appreciation. Before she and Jess could get too carried away, though, they were interrupted by a loud growl coming from Rory's stomach. She pulled back, looking up at Jess with puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine," Jess said, letting his hands drop to his sides. He shook his head with a small chuckle, kissing Rory's forehead. "Food first, I guess."

Rory giggled, kissing his cheek. "My stomach wins this time…" she trailed off, leaving Jess to fill in the rest of the sentence himself.

"Tomorrow," Jess said, piling food on two plates, "we're going to have to go to the supermarket and get some make-it-yourself food. This takeout stuff is fun and easy, but it's making my wallet hurt."

"Oh!" Rory exclaimed suddenly. "I didn't tell you yet – I got a job!"

Jess stopped, the lo mein dripping back into the container, and stared. "Oh? Where?" he asked, almost too casually.

"At the coffee shop you showed me the other day – The Sunburst." Rory squinted at him, trying to figure out his strange expression. "What?"

Jess allowed a brief smile to cross his features. "Nothin'. I didn't know you were looking for a job."

"I wasn't, really, I was just hanging out there and they mentioned they were looking for help." Playfully, she swatted at his elbow. "I have to do something while you're out traipsing all over the city. And this way I get free coffee."

"Well, I know how important that is." Jess finished dishing food onto his plate and plopped down in the chair at the table.

She stared at him. "Are you mocking the coffee addiction?"

"Hey, I know better than to do that!" Jess up his hands, the picture of innocence.

Rory pointed her finger at him warningly. "You mock, you won't get any coffee."

"Well then," Jess said with a smirk, "I guess you told me, then."

"Yes, I did," Rory stated; the final word.

"When do you start?" Jess swallowed a big bite, and washed it down with a gulp of water.

"Monday," she replied, piling more food onto her plate. "I talked to the manager and both of us agreed it would be best if I started at the beginning of the week."

"Cool," Jess commented. "So, if I stop by during your shift, do I get free coffee too?"

"Of course not." Rory grinned. "You get no perks."

"Oh yeah?" Jess smirked at her, and she blushed. "We'll see."

"I was talking about the coffee!" she cried, her face still red.

"What makes you think I wasn't?" Jess asked, leaning forward.

"Because I know you," came the response.

-------------------------

"Mom, guess what?"

"Uh-oh." Lorelai's voice was cautious.

"What's the matter?" Rory asked, swatting away Jess' hands from her waist.

"Nothing good can follow 'guess what, Mom,'" Lorelai explained. "It could be 'Guess what, Mom, I had sex,' or 'Guess what, Mom, I got my nose pierced,' or 'Guess what, Mom, I –'"

"Got a job," Rory interrupted. She placed her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "Jess, cut it out, I'm trying to talk to my mom!"

"She had you for nineteen years. It's my turn." Jess pulled aside the collar of her shirt and started kissing her shoulder.

"Later," Rory promised. She took her hand off the phone, turning her attention back to her mother. "Sorry, Mom. Jess doesn't feel I'm paying enough attention to him."

"Hmm. So, you got a job?" Rory raised her eyebrows slightly at her mother's attempt to stay on topic.

"Yep! In a coffee shop." She grinned. "I get free coffee, and I get paid to make it…for the customers, too, of course, but that's beside the point."

"And, um, does Jess drink coffee?" Lorelai asked awkwardly.

"He already hit me up for freebies." Rory sidestepped Jess and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't stick that out unless you plan to use it!" Jess called to her.

Rory shot him a teasing glare, and closed herself in the bathroom, perching on the closed toilet seat. "Okay, no more interruptions," she told Lorelai.

"So tell me about this place. Is it nice? How's the coffee?"

"It's good, their lattes are incredible – and the pastries, too. I will never go hungry," Rory said, settling back against the tank. "So what's new up there? "How's the inn?"

"It's almost ready," Lorelai said, a note of pride creeping into her voice. "Just a few minor things – and a few important ones, like the fact that we still don't have doors yet."

"No doors?" Rory asked, laughing slightly. "Everybody's going to get really cozy really quickly."

Lorelai giggled. "Can you picture it? Sookie and Jackson, Babette and Morey, Miss Patty, Kirk and Lulu, Luke, Michel, Taylor – all in one place with no doors? That's what Saturday will be like."

"The doors will come," Rory assured her mother. "Or you'll just have to make sure there's a camera on hand! Really, though, the inn's gonna be great. I can't wait to see it." Rory cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder and lifted her hair off her neck.

"Yeah, well, maybe sometime soon."

Rory let her hair fall back down, sitting up and taking hold of the phone. "What? No. Mom, I'll be there this weekend."

"Really?" Lorelai's voice was skeptical. "What about Jess?"

"This has nothing to do with him," Rory responded almost before the words had left Lorelai's mouth. "But, actually, I just had a thought."

"You have those?"

"Once in a while."

"My smart girl…what's the thought?"

"Well, I was wondering – and I haven't talked about it with him yet – if you have room, would it be okay if Jess came to the test run?"

"Oh, honey, I don't know," Lorelai hedged. "All the rooms are full."

"Well, Luke's staying alone, right? Jess could stay with him," Rory suggested, letting her toes play with a loose tile on the floor.

"We'll see," said Lorelai. "Talk to him, have him talk to Luke, and maybe we'll work something out."

Rory grinned into the phone. "Thanks, Mom. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you!" She closed the phone and opened the bathroom door.

"Hey," she said, settling comfortably on the bed next to Jess.

"Mmm," he grunted in response, lost in Fitzgerald.

"Jess?" she said, tucking her arms though his.

"Hmm?" He didn't look up.

"Jess, can you put the book down? I have something to discuss with you." She brushed the hair out of her face.

That got his attention. "Discuss?" he repeated, marking his place and setting the book down.

"Yeah. It's about this weekend. I don't know if you remember, but I have dinner with my grandparents every Friday."

"How could I forget?" he muttered.

Rory rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored the remark. "And my mom is having a test run of her new inn on Saturday. It's just friends, so she can work out all the kinks before the paying customers get here. It's a really big deal, and I have to be there for her. To see this." She looked up at him, waiting for a reaction.

He nodded in understanding. "Okay."

She narrowed her eyes. 'Okay'? What did 'okay' mean? "Is that all you have to say?"

Jess shrugged. "Have fun? I'll miss you? Say hi to your grandma for me?" He smirked.

"Come with me?" Rory requested, kissing his cheek.

"Where?" Jess groaned.

"To Stars Hollow for the weekend. To the test run. You can hang out with Luke on Friday," she suggested, "and then come to the Dragonfly on Saturday."

"I was just there last week. I don't want to go back so soon for something like this." He flopped back onto the pillows at the head of the bed.

She laid down next to him, tucking herself in close by his side. "Please, Jess? This is important for my mom, and it's important to me, too."

He groaned, taking the pillow from under his head and holding it over his face. "I hate that town. I can't stand most of the people there and the feeling is mutual. I have no desire to see them."

"Jess…" She gave a little pout. "I want you there. Please?"

"Rory…" he mimicked her tone. "No. You go and enjoy and I'll see you back here Sunday night."

"It's one weekend, like a day and a half," she reasoned, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

"Don't give me that look. It won't work," he warned her.

"Well, how about this?" Rory pulled his head down to hers for a kiss. The kiss deepened and she almost forgot the reason for it in the first place. She drew back before she got too lost in the sensation.

Jess cocked an eyebrow and pursed his lips, considering it. "Can I borrow a book? And do I have to be polite to everyone?"

A grin spread across Rory's face. "You can be sullen and rude to anyone who pisses you off, except my mom and Luke. You can sit in the corner and read all night."

Jess sighed in resignation. "Fine. I'll come."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rory squealed, planting kisses all over his face. "Besides, this way you won't have to miss me."


End file.
